NJ Football: Did Canada Prep know Mater Dei Prep game was scrimmage?

Coach Dan George gives an emotionally charged pre-game speech to inspire his team to victory over division rival.
Brian Johnston

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Mater Dei’s quarterback George Pearson runs the ball in for a touchdown during the 4th quarter of the Mater Dei Prep and Shore Regional football game at Shore Regional High School in West Long Branch, NJ Friday, October 6, 2017.(Photo: Tanya Breen)Buy Photo

When it came to light last week that Mater Dei Prep would have to appear at a hearing before the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Controversies Committee on Oct. 19 relating to its use of ineligible players in a Sept. 30 ``scrimmage’’ against Canada Prep, there clearly were some unanswered questions.

One of them was whether Canada Prep understood it was indeed a scrimmage, and not a real game?

And if so, why would they make a 840 mile round-trip bus ride from Welland, Ontario, to Middletown for a game that didn’t count?

While the NJSIAA indicated that Mater Dei Prep contacted them several weeks earlier about the game being considered a scrimmage, it certainly looked like a real game in several minutes of highlights available online, including a big crowd with plenty of hard hits and celebrations on the field

``We absolutely knew it was a scrimmage,’’ said Canada Prep head coach Geoff McArthur, a second-team All-American receiver at the University of California in 2003. ``We spoke with them about it, that it was a scrimmage.’’

Mater Dei Prep scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to pull out a 14-13 decision over Canada Prep, which spends its weekends taking long bus rides to play top U.S. high school teams, mostly in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The high school sports website MaxPreps.com lists Canada Prep as having one of the 10 toughest schedules in the country.

``We come down because it’s great to just get a chance to play in the United States,’’ McArthur said. ``For us, it being a scrimmage, it didn’t matter. We just wanted to simulate a game environment. We’re trying to get kids recruited in the U.S,. and we’re not necessarily in a conference up here. We’re an independent, so for us to get U.S. exposure, whether it was a scrimmage or not, didn’t matter for us. So that’s why we did it.’’

Canada Prep was founded in 2014 and focuses on football and boys basketball, similar to the concept of IMG Academy, which develops top athletes in Bradenton, Florida.

``That’s the main reason the school exists - to help promote athletics,’’ McArthur said. ``Unfortunately in Canada, they don’t get full scholarships based on athletic ability. But in the U.S, they do, and that’s why we do so much traveling.’’

McArthur did not seemed concerned that Mater Dei Prep may have used players who were not eligible to be on field. Those players did have to sit out last Friday night's win over Shore, but are eligible to play this week against Asbury Park.

Mater Dei Prep interim Head of School John Anderson told Gannett New Jersey that the school’s athletic director, Lance Bennett, misinterpreted an NJSIAA rule that said transfers without a bona-fide address change are allowed to participate in preseason scrimmages, but are unable to participate in regular-season scrimmages before the conclusion of the transfers’ mandatory 30-day sit period.

Since the start of the 2016 season, Mater Dei Prep has won 15 straight games, including its first-ever NJSIAA sectional state championship. The program has been bolstered by an influx of players transferring to the school.

It’s unclear what action, if any, the NJSIAA can take against Mater Dei Prep for the infractions, although some kind of probation seems likely. The Seraphs has six transfers on the roster, and it’s unclear how many played against Canada Prep.